Summerfest is ready to kick off in Tamaqua

Street festival to feature food, crafts, and fun for kids.

June 14, 2008|By Ashley Kosciolek Special to the Morning Call - Freelance

Sunday is Father's Day, and for many in the Tamaqua area that's synonymous with a popular street festival that draws thousands.

Summerfest, which is organized by the Tamaqua Historical Society and touted as the area's largest street festival, will start at 10 a.m. Sunday.

"It's always been held on Father's Day, and over the last 18 years, it's grown," said Historical Society Secretary Linda Yulanavage, who estimated 8,000 people attended last year's event.

There's food, crafts, music and demonstrations. But one attraction in particular is always popular.

"There's something for everyone, but the highlight of the day is the train rides," Yulanavage said.

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad will again offer three one-hour train rides  one each at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Last year, two of the three rides  each of which carry 350 people  sold out, and the third came close.

Two of the rides go to the 180-foot high bridge in Hometown, and the other travels south along the Little Schuylkill River to New Ringgold.

Also returning are trolley rides pulled by Belgian draft horses, a group that rids high-wheel bicycles and a car show run by the Tamaqua Street Machine Association.

For history buffs, Tamaqua's first home, the 1801 Burkhardt Moser log cabin, is open, as well as the 1848 blacksmither shop and the Tamaqua Historical Society Museum.

Artsy types can enjoy the works of Chet Davis, which will be on display at the Tamaqua Art Center gallery, and the large craft fair that will span W. Broad, Nescopec, and Berwick streets, as well as Hegarty Avenue.

There is no admission charge, but some attractions carry a fee.

Ashley Kosciolek is a freelance writer.

IF YOU GO

What: The 18th annual Tamaqua Summerfest.

Where: The Five Points Intersection and surrounding streets in downtown Tamaqua.

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The details: The festival, which draws several thousand people, has a wide range of attractions, ranging from hour-long train rides to performances by the Breaker Boys, a group that sings folk songs and tells miner stories, to attractions geared to children. To find out more: For more information or to reserve tickets for train rides, call the Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce at 570-668-1880.